The Flood Games

Chapter Five: Dies Irae

…..

The once calm and complacent crowd had come to life, with gasps of shock and whispers of "isn't that Marissa's girl?". The boy next to her was staring as though she had grown an extra head. Annie didn't pay him any mind, whispering a polite "excuse me" as she slipped past him. She could practically feel Seille's gaze as well, far more murderous than the boy's, but she held her head high and walked proudly down the aisle as though she didn't care. Because, really, she didn't. She had made it. As far as she was concerned, she had already won.

Proserpine was giddy with excitement as she took the stage, though Annie was quick to notice that she was the only one. Kai squeezed Ari's hand. Ron looked as though he'd been shot. Finnick's brows knit together as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. Mags's eyes widened in barely-contained fury. Oh. Oh no. That was not the reaction from Mags that she was hoping for.

Saoirse smiled at her gracefully, but Annie could see the confusion written on her face. Annie grinned, shaking her hand firmly and confidently. Saoirse left the stage slowly, glancing back up at Annie from time to time as though wondering if there had been a mistake.

"Now, for the citizens of District 4 I'm sure this lovely young lady needs no introduction, but I don't believe our friends in the Capitol have had the pleasure of meeting her yet. Won't you introduce yourself, dear?" Proserpine asked, tilting her microphone in Annie's direction.

"Of course," Annie beamed, taking the microphone. "My name is Anastasia Magdalene Cresta. Daughter of Marissa Cresta, and future victor of the 70th Hunger Games!"

Her confidence had managed to convince at least some of the crowd. Cheers of excitement began to replace the mutters of confusion, though many of the older citizens of the district were still whispering anxiously to one another. Annie didn't get it. Shouldn't they be proud of her for following in her mother's footsteps?

She smiled through the confusion, curtsying gracefully and handing the mic back to Proserpine. She took her place as generations of tributes had done before her, willing her hands to stay still. She was beginning to feel nervous, and wanted nothing more than to tug at the skirt of her dress or fidget with her hair, but she knew the whole world was watching her now. For once, Annie was grateful for all of the nitpicking Muscida had done over the years, as it showed her just what kind of mask she should wear for Panem. Gone was the weird selkie girl who didn't fit in. A bright, capable young woman had taken her place and would soon wear the victor's crown.

Proserpine was grinning from ear to ear as she moved towards the boy's bowl. Of course she was the most excited out of anyone there- a victor's daughter volunteering would be good press, especially one who had been sheltered from the spotlight as Annie had been. Annie briefly wondered if the extra media attention could lead to problems for her plan. She hoped not. From what she could remember of previous years where the children of victors were reaped, it didn't seem like they were held up with extra interviews or anything.

"And now for the boys!" Proserpine announced, reaching a gloved hand in the bowl. Annie avoided looking at Caspian or Nyla as she scanned the faces of the 18 year-old's, wondering who would volunteer as her district partner. She hoped it wouldn't be someone who hated her, or looked down on her. Someone she could trust, even. "Bravura Sturgeon!"

Bravura, a 14 year old boy with a mop of golden curls, stepped forward hesitantly. He seemed shy, maybe even a bit embarrassed from all the attention, but climbed to the stage anyways with a beet-red face. Annie gave him a reassuring smile when he turned to look at her. It was all going to be okay. One of the older boys would take his place.

"Do we have a-"

"I volunteer as tribute!"

Annie's smile fell, her face hardening in an instant. She knew that voice. Things were not going to be okay.

The crowd roared in excitement as the 18 year-old's parted for their volunteer. No one seemed to care about the breach in protocol he committed by volunteering before their escort could finish speaking. There wasn't the nervous hesitation that had followed Annie's own declaration. This was a tribute the people of her district had expected and hoped for. One who had denied any plans of volunteering, and yet made the choice anyways. Tall and muscular and built like a brick wall, just as a Career tribute should be.

"Well now," Proserpine laughed, clearly miffed about being cut off. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise! Tell the world your name, my dear!"

The boy didn't smile. His features remained stoic, but his blue eyes blazed with determination. He too, it seemed, had a mission to fulfill. Annie's fingers began to twitch, and against her better judgment she ended up clutching a fistful of fabric from her dress skirt.

"Caspian Erikson," he said simply.

...

By the time the ceremony was finished and the tributes had been ushered into the Justice Building, Annie had managed to school her features and slip back into her mask. Ignoring the problem entirely helped, but she knew deep down that she wouldn't be able to ignore her sister's boyfriend so easily once they were both on the train to the Capitol. For now, all she could do was relax in the plush sitting room and wait for her visitors to send her off. Lovely portraits of District 4's five female victors that Ron had hand-painted himself lined the wall, and Annie found herself drawn to them instantly. She became transfixed on her mother's portrait, hung proudly between Librae and Ari, and ran her hand across it lovingly.

"I'm on my way, Mama," she whispered softly. "Just a little longer."

The door opened behind her. Her grandfather's smiling, tear-streaked face greeted her. She leapt into his arms, giddy with an excitement that he didn't quite share.

"You really are my Rissa's daughter, aren't you," Reef sighed, caressing her hair. "I should've known you'd keep me on my toes like this."

Annie grinned sheepishly. "I wanted it to be a surprise. That way nobody could talk me out of it. Oh! But I've been training at the cove every day, I promise! I haven't just been swimming! I have all her tridents and spears, and I've gotten really good with them, honest!"

Reef smiled bitter-sweetly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just as long as you come back in one piece, all right?"

"Grandpa, I'll be fine! I promise! Dying in the Games is something that happens to other people, not Crestas," Annie giggled.

Reef's smile fell, expression turning solemn. "Let's sit down, Anastasia."

She followed him to the plush velvet couch, mind racing. Had she said something wrong? She didn't think so. Her grandfather sat down, patting the cushion next to him. Annie took her seat, and Reef took one of her hands in both of his.

"I want you to realize this isn't just a game," Reef said, voice breaking. "These Games... they changed your mother. I don't want that to happen to you."

Annie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

The door slammed open before he could respond. Attina raced in, gasping for breath and clutching a necklace in her fist.

"I got it! Right here!" she panted, leaning against the door frame.

"Attina?" Annie asked, confused. She was certain that her sister would've visited Caspian first. Not as a slight to her, of course. It was just that Attina seemed to prioritize her boyfriend more these days.

Attina sat on the arm of the love seat and carefully began to take off Annie's jewelry. "Well, I couldn't let my baby sister go without a token, now could I? This was supposed to be your present tonight, for you to wear to... well, never mind."

Annie nodded slowly as Attina slipped a new necklace around her neck. She noted the pained expression on her face. Of course she wouldn't be going to the festival tonight anymore, so she supposed it made sense for her to take the necklace Attina intended for her to wear that night as a token. But she seemed awfully upset for this to be just about the festival.

She studied the necklace carefully, instantly recognizing the some of the beads from Marissa's favorite bracelet that the girls had accidentally broken while fighting over it when they were children. In the very center was a small pinkish-orange shell that she remembered gathering the previous day. It had been her favorite from yesterday's haul, but she felt embarrassed about gushing over it enough that Attina had noticed.

"Thank you," she said quietly, tracing her fingers over the beads. "I don't know what I did to earn a present, though. It's too lovely for just me."

There were tears in Attina's eyes as she pulled her close. "I wanted you to have it. For special occasions, you know? I uh, thought I had it in my pocket at the reaping, but I couldn't find it at first. Turns out I forgot I asked Tiggs to hold onto it. Isn't that something?"

Her voice began to warble as she spoke. She looked more fragile than Annie had ever seen her before. It... hurt. She didn't realize how much it would. This whole time, she thought her family would just be proud of her when the moment came. She hadn't considered that they may be this worried. A bit of healthy fear, sure, maybe enough to try to talk her out of volunteering. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine the sheer terror her sister felt, and in turn she felt guilty. This had to be done, but she hated hurting her family like this.

"I'm really sorry," Annie whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure if anyone could hear. But it was all her voice could manage.

She shuffled closer to her grandfather, giving Attina enough room to sit down. The three of them melted into a puddle, clinging to one another tightly. Her guilt ebbed away slowly, and in return she just felt safe. Loved. Treasured. She held onto the feeling, reminding herself of what she was fighting for. Who she was fighting for. This was all for her family. It was up to her to bring them closure.

They stayed like that for eons, lost in their own little world. They talked quietly among themselves as Annie softly reassured her family that she would be all right. She had trained for this, and she would make it out alive. They didn't talk about Caspian. Couldn't, really. Apologies prodded at the back of Annie's mind as she desperately wished she would have waited for just one year, but she couldn't bring herself to voice them. Attina would see him soon enough; there was no need to add salt to her wound.

The Peacekeepers came too soon. Annie knew this wouldn't be a permanent goodbye, but she still wasn't ready for her family to leave. She had never been apart from them for so long. She nuzzled against her grandfather's shoulder, trying desperately to choke back her tears. Just a few more minutes. Please. She needed them. Maybe she was a Career, but that didn't mean she was always strong. Couldn't time just stop?

It wasn't meant to be. Eventually, she had to let go.

After the final, tear-ridden "I love you"s had been said, Annie was left alone on the couch feeling much more lost than before. Logically, she knew she would have to say goodbye. She knew her family couldn't come with her. She just hadn't expected it to hurt so much.

She sniffled, clutching the shell of her necklace tightly. It would be okay. It had to be. Her family was counting on her.

A soft knock on the door startled her, and she scrambled to reassemble herself. She was certain she looked like a mess. This wouldn't do. After the rest of her goodbyes, she would be off to the Capitol, where she would become the face of District 4 for all of Panem. She had to pull herself together if she was to properly represent her home. But her resolve crumbled as the door opened.

"Uncle Ron?" she whimpered. How much more of this could she take?

Her uncle broke at the sight of her. "Oh, pumpkin. Come here."

Annie sniffed back her tears, collapsing into his arms without a shred of dignity. At least Ron was a safe shoulder to cry on. She couldn't imagine the teasing that would ensue if she was still crying by the time Nyla or Tiggs showed up.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I've got you."

"I'm gonna embarrass District 4," Annie groaned. "I can't stop crying."

Ron laughed bitterly. "You'll be okay. I promise. I started crying on live TV, remember? And Mags had to come get me because your mother was busy panicking like a headless chicken? Ring any bells?"

Annie nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "You were still as brave as you could be."

"And you'll be as brave as you can be," Ron echoed, tapping her on the nose. "You'll never embarrass me, Annie. Or anyone else who matters. Now, are you going to tell me what this volunteering business is about, or do I have to snoop around your bedroom until I find your diary?"

Annie felt her cheeks flush. She actually hadn't considered hiding her diary. While she knew her uncle was just teasing her, she was now concerned that Attina might find it. Or worse, their grandfather. She really didn't want her private thoughts to be broadcast to the rest of her family. There were incriminating details about grudges and crushes alike in there (well, one crush, really), and she wasn't sure how she would be able to face her family if they got ahold of it.

"I'm a selkie, remember? I have to find my seal skin," she answered hesitantly.

It was metaphorical, of course. When the town elders called her a selkie, she didn't think most of them actually believed it. There wasn't really a race of seal-folk who could shed their pelts to take on human forms. It was all just folklore, passed down for generations. But in ways, she really was a selkie. Her pelt was missing. Her mother was dead. She didn't know where she came from. Maybe it really was the sea that brought her to District 4, or maybe it wasn't. Regardless, she was brought to her district for a reason. Now it was time to find what had been lost and earn her keep.

Ron furrowed his brow. "And you think it's in the Capitol?"

He caught on fast. It was one of the things she loved about her uncle. They were always so in sync.

Annie smiled and nodded. "This was the only way I could think of to get there. Auntie Mags never would've let me leave the district otherwise."

Something in Ron's gaze darkened. He knew more about Marissa than he was letting on. She was well aware of this fact. There were probably more people in on the secret than she could possibly imagine. But she doubted anyone knew the whole truth. The truth was out there somewhere, and the Capitol was the best place to start. After she won the Games, she would be a victor. Even if the truth was hiding in some other district, victors had slightly fewer travel restrictions than normal citizens did- especially if they were popular like Finnick. She would chase this secret to the ends of the earth, and she would uncover what happened to her mother once and for all.

"But what happens when you find it?" Ron asked. "You... what? Swim off with your seal family?"

He almost seemed hurt. Annie wasn't sure what to make of this. Was he taking this metaphor in some other direction she hadn't thought of?

"You're my family too. I'm not just gonna leave forever or something," Annie reassured him, furrowing her brow. "I just... need to know. I can't keep living like this."

Ron grimaced, pulling her closer. Annie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"We love you so much. Just remember that," Ron whispered.

"I know. I love you guys too. And I'll be home soon. I promise."

…..

Took me longer to update than planned, but oh well. Thankfully no changes were necessary post-SOTR, but having a character named Proserpine when Suzanne Collins introduced a Proserpina did make me laugh. We will now proceed with our semi-regularly scheduled programming.